2) It is also home to the lowest point in the continental U.S. — Death Valley, which drops down to 282 feet below sea level.

3) The fortune cookie was invented here. At least the Americanized version. Efforts to trace its origins into the past and across the Pacific Ocean have been difficult, as documented by The New York Times and The Smithsonian.

4) California is the only state to host the Summer and Winter Olympics.

5) Our state song? "I Love You California."

I Love You California

Now about that birthday.....

Happy Birthday! But which one?

Happy Birthday California! You're dysfunctional, weird and beautiful and I love you so much for it!

*Here's a sixth thing you might not know about California for those who beared with us this long: It was known as the Bear State before it became the Golden State with the thinning of the bear population.